Smelting furnace



Jan. 20, 1931. J. -r. M COURT SMELTING FURNAG'E Filed June 10. 1926 7 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTO ATTORNEYIT Jan. 20, 1931.

J. T. M COURT SMELTING FURNACE Fil ed June 10, 1926 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVTOR. I MIM-Cvzu-Z 4 I I 0x ATTORNEY f Jan. 20,1931;

J. T. MCOURT SMELTING FHRNACE "7- Sheets-eSheet 5 Filed June 10, 1926 mum b w nv YD. m Jaw u rut u I! I .Ill- I w m v ATTORNEY Jan. 20, 1931. J. T. Mcou l,789 5:3l

SMELTING FURNACE I Filed Jun 10, 1925 '7 sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR MIM Jan."20 1931. J. T. McCOURT SMELTING FURNACE 19% 7' sheets-s eet 6 Filed June 10 I'NVENTOR.

'7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY J. T. M COURT SMELTING FURNACE Filed June 10, 1926 Jan. 20, 1931.

i ""iPatented Jan 20, 1931 a l iJomv-r'llmcoounr; or rosnitennns;oALIroImIA 1] sw m-ewe iri eqljimiud,

This invention relatesfto aii'd -has for -a1 main' object the pro isioniof an-improved method and means for-I; smelting r ore; (and imore particularly iron ore, hi'cIriS- generally the more difliculte to reduce'in'a smelti g p' 7 2 F47 Another object is'to provideamethod'and means for smelting-lore: and arranged to burn @1 0 gas-fin the presenceofthe ore to be" reduced; preferably by. introducing ia hydroc itbonfuelwith a pro'per m x e of air from 'the; a tmosphere intoigthe combustion chamber or Zone of the c1*ucible-'in*thepres ence ofthe'oi'e, in suchamannerthat o'Xida tion'offtheorewill be p'revented, thus eliminating the necessity fo'rfthe'use ofother car:-

bonaceous substances such as 'c'oke, twhich 'is ordinarily used inthe reduction.of 'ironore.

I manner that the reduction or theore inthe presence of thevburning carbon'will be more quickly reflected than in other processes od and'means for efiecting a complete 'regens,

Another object is to provide a process'and means for reducing ore which includes the a burning of carbon insuspension, and the dis-2f position of the ore in the crucible in such fa 1 where a substance such as coke :isu'sed'under the obtaining .metho ds, together with ta rnethe 3 ence ofthe ore, accumulating the molten metal and slagi resulting from the fusing of by a maximum temperature maybe obtained,-

the ore, in a hearth, separately dr'awing'ofi the slag and the metal, and drawing oifithe' products of combustion from the; crucible into a regenerator. i I Y I.

A further object is-to'provide improved means for introducing [the-hydro-oarbon fuel into the crucible and the hearth-, where together with means for regulating thew-v.01 :v

" oible," and the correspondingtailywiththe roasting mechanism"omitted 1 215013, the fuel introduced to'the combustion. l

Chamber from points externally oftthe'icru V regulation of the heat. producedthereinl further object is to provide and -means for reducing ore, which consists in initially*heating; the 'ore' 'to a pointsubstantially below fusing temperature, charging an inclined crucible withthe-preheated I ore at regular intervals, 5 or continuously,

heating the crucible and a hearth connected therewith simultaneouslyto a uniform tem}- I.

molten state and" separately drawingiotf thef s i products'ofcombustion, the] molten metal A,

and the slag, in continuous operation;

i A still-furth er object isto provide a smelter particularlyfadapted for the reduction iron? or? tofa mQuen-state, wh "infludesf a" 1 hearth r s v i g the moltenmetal'and' slag after the reduction of'the ore", f; 'a-J crucible inclined upwardly from thehearth and arranged r to receive theiorei at regular ntervals,- or contlnuously', a roaster or preheating devlce for inltially re'celving the ore and soarranged inrelation-ktov ithe crucihle'thatthe or e' nay be transferred after the preheating operation to the'jcrucible for complete'reduction, a regeneratorad pt o- 7 1 I v reeeive j the 1 1 products of combustion; and means for introducing the "combustible felements into the regenerator;

scription of my invention progresses. I

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a preferred embodiinent of my'inve'n- Still other objects will appearasi the ole-f l t ion, subjectto modificationwithin the Scope 1 ofthe vappended i claims without' departing from the spirit thereof, inf'which z Fig. 1 is an'elevation; on a red with certain details omitted, of my-jm ov furn'acefor smelting ore.

2 is aside elevation of the sameinde V 'Fig. 3 is-a top plan view ofthesa-me.

Fignt-is an end view thereof.

-Fig." 5 is aljsectional. elevation of paratus shown in Fig. 2;

v Fig. 6 is'a. sectional elevatio -7 g passage through and at the completionof 7 is a sectionalelevation on line 77 of Fig. 3. n

Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the burners. for introducing a hydro-carbon fuel to the combustion chamber.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same in connection with the hearth, showing the water cooled combustion block, which is also typical of the construction of the crucible.

. Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of the burners adapted to burn aliquid hydrmcar bon fuel. d

Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the burner proper; and I Fig. 12 is a sectional planof the same on harem-12 of Fig. 11. 1

1 Briefly described, my improved method andv means includes, a roaster R, a hearth H, a crucible C, and aregenerator G,arrnng ed preferably as shown in Fig, 1, with the hearthll, crucible G and regenerator G. constructed as an. integral unit. The crucible C is cylindrical and inclined atra, substantial,

angle from hearth H to-and in. communicatipnkwiththe regenerator .G, so that the ore will move by gravity "to the hearth. The

:roaster R is mounted at a substantial umtionrabovetheplane of-the" hearth Hand crucible C, on a suitable frame'F, and is adapted tobe rotated duringv the operation; of the: mechanism by suitable means.

Referring to Fig. I, theroasterisprovlded with a steel outer jacket, of cylindrical form, with a refractory lining: 2' of fire-brick, or other substance, and isin the form of a sub stantially elongated cylinder with an inlet periphery of the jacket.

'3 through which the ore is supplied to-the interior of the roaster by suitable: means,

and an outlet 5 atthe opposite end through whichv theore may be discharged after its the preheating operation in theroaster.

Their-caster is rotatably mounted on the 'frame F and is supported on a plurality of cradles 6', 6, which have anti-friction rollers 7, 7 mounted thereon, and adapted tn. r0- tatably engage bands 8, 8, attached to the At substantially spaced points the jacket is provided with. annular gears 9, 9, which are adapted to mesh with and be driven by pinions I0, 10 carried on an elongated driving shaft 11 which is journaled in brackets 12, 1 3 and 14 attached to'the top of the frame F. The shaft 11 may be rotated by a ge'aror pulley 15 at one end thereof, and the roaster is disposed at an angle and is inclined downwardlyfrom the inlet 3 to the outlet 5, so that the are introduced through inlet 3 during the preheating operation will be gradually movedin the direction of the outlet 5 for delivery to the crucible. C, as hereinafter described.

The discharge end of the roaster R is pro vided with an orifice in the end 17'thereof,

' adjacent which a gas or liquid fuel burner B is mounted, whereby the internal chamber of the roaster may be heated to a proper temperature vin the roasting process.

The roaster R, as shown in Fig. 1, is disposed above and in near proximity to a pair or more of hoppers 18 and 19 which are mounted on the inclined upper surface-of the crucible G, and are in communication with the combustion chamber 20 therein, in'order that the ore fromthe roaster B may be discharged intermittently or continuously into one or both of the hoppers 18 and 19 by suitable means (not shown) and thence into the chamber-20 ofthe crucible C. I

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 5 that I the crucible C Y is inclined at an angle of. ap

proximatelythirty degrees, but the angle thereof may lee-changed to suit varying consaid hearthghas a metallic water jacket: 23 amng'edltherearound in sections-of suitable an: intermediate wall of brick asat 24;, andian inner lining 25 of refractory substance such'a-s fine-brick- Said hearth also has a floor 26 of; refractory material which is suitably constructed on a base 27 of concrete or other" substance'l 1 At apoint slightly above the opening 28 which afiords communication between the crucible and the-hearth, the fiOOI'Qi the crucible C is provided with a slight internal enlargement 29:, which may be as shownjor suitably grooved for the: purposeof retarding the movement of the ore from the inclined sur face of they crucible into the hearth, and providing a. shallow trough for the reception of the moltenmetal, as more fullydescribed hereafter. Also, the upper wall of'the crucible almost opposite the enlargement 29 is provided with a depending-internal baffle 30 which serves to deflect the heat from the hearth downwardly at an incline into the crucible C, soas to'provide a point of maximum heat in the crucible in the region adjacent the enlargement 29 and" the bafile 30.

Adjacent the upper end of the crucible, I provide a regenerator G whichis preferably of rectangular cross section, and is constructed of brick or other suitable substance, with a rear wall 31, front wall 32, side Walls 33, 33, and a top34, the rear wall 3lzbeing'provided with checkered brick work 35 at its junction with the crucible C soas to provide a plurality of openings 36, 36 affording communication'betweenthe chamber 20 of the crucible andthe chamber 37 of the regenerator, for

the purpose of drawing off the products of combustionfrom the crucible into the regenerator. i 1

The crucible C is supported on a suitable frame F of steel, and both thecrucible and the hearth are braced transversely by means I vided in the walls of the regeneratorR which arecoveredby doors 41; arranged in a suitable manner for sealing the openings'tO'under normal pressure within thechamber 37,

and which are adapted to open under abnor-; mal pressures for reliev ng the pressures within the generator. V

The crucible C and thehe arth H are provided with a plurality of burners B arranged at staggered points on opposite sides thereof, all of said burners being connected with a steelpressure blower P, by means of a common pipe 42 or a series of such pipes, which extend from the blower P through the wall 32 of the regenerator, and thence upwardly through the chamber 37 of the regenerator and the top 34:, with corresponding laterals a3 and 43' leading to the burners B, B, etc, on opposite sides of the crucible and the hearth, as shown in Fig. 4. j f i Liquid fuel is supplied to the burners B by means of one or more pipes M'connectedwith a fuel pump P, which in turn is connected by means of a pipe45 with asuitable tank as a T, for holding the fuel so that under a pres-l sure of approximately one, hundred pounds per square inchitrmay' be delivered to the burners B for mixture with the air fromlthe blower P which'is. preheated in the regener atorG. r v

As in other systems where liquid hydrocarbon fuels areused for burners of the. character shown herein, the oil delivered from the pressurepiunp P may preferably be preheated prior to the introduction of the oil to the burners B soas to afforda more perfect vaporization and combustion. i

' At a suitable point ontheregenerator G, oradjacent'thereto, I providea forced draft blower as at Z the intake ofwhich is connected by means of a pipe 46 with the regenerator so ass to afiord'communication with the chamber 37 thereof. Said blower' b isffor the 'purpose of exhaustingthe products of combustion from the crucible 0, through the regen; erator G, and is preferably water-cooled for the purpose of handling gas with a temper ature of approximately one thousand degrees Fahrenheit." The outlet of the blower 7) is con nected'with the burner'B of the roaster by means of a pipe 48, so that the combustible gas exhausted from the chamber 37 of 'regen-' "1 erator G may be delivered't'othe burnerB of roaster to a proper temperature 1 r In the operation or my improved smelter the roasterthrough pipe :48, for heating the as hereinbefore described, the 'ore is admitted" throughtheinlet 3 to the roaster Rwhiles'aid roaster is being rotated by the means shown. An initial, temperature a is maintained :by

meansfof. the burnersB as the-ore ismoved from one end thereof to the other for C115;

charge intothecrucible'. The crucible Cis charged withthe ore continuously or intermittently, as may be desired, by suitable means, and a proper charge'of ore in the effective operation of the crucible'will fill'the crucible tothe extent of about onehalf of its area, providing a combustion chamber in the upper portion of the crucible above the body of ore in the lower portion thereof. j

Vhen the th H and the crucibleCl are initially heated to temperature which will completely'fuse the ore, and the crucible char ed with a sufiicient uantit of theore l b V a state of incandescence will prevail in the' hearth and in the combustion chamber of the crucible above the body of ore/Thus ample" space in the crucible is provided for eXpan-' sion of the gases during oombustiom'and the heat created in the combustion chamber. will be applied generously and directly to the body of ore so that as the ore is moved gradually down the inclined bottom of the crucible, it ,will gradually be reduced, 'andjust abovethe a point 29 in the crucible the molten metal will accumulate and flow overthe enlargement 29,

through the opening 28 into the hearth H, in

the form of ametallic molten ore and slag,

the iron being heavier'than the; slag'settlin g' to the bottom of the hearth H, and flowing off through an outlet 0, over a trough, t'for further disposition, and-the slag being the lighter of the two substances being'discharged Inthis case it Will be observed that by the arrangement of theburners' shown, and the N disposition of the same at frequent intervals on each side of the crucible and hearth H,

tions of use, but-a distin ctiye-feature of my through an opening 0 and a trough t, as in 7 other cases, details of th1s structure be ng immaterial to :my invention;

invention'consists in the application of heat 7 to'the'hearth wherein is maintained a body of the molten metal so that subsequent to the reduction of the ore there'can be no cooling of themolten metal in the heartln as is pose sible in otl'ier'types of smelters} It willbeunderstood,furthermore, that the extraction of the molten metal from the ore is completely effectedwithin the crucible and x the hearth serves the purpose ofaccumulating the molten metal fromwhich the same may be i drawn for further disposition and use. i e

f, Nowfl have found that a suficient 'temperature for reducing ore, particularly iron with a'vertical neck 51 and a horizontal neck 52. The neck 51 is adapted to be connected with the pipe 43 or 43 from the blower P by means of a fitting or more preferably a shutoifvalve '54, interposed between the sections of the pipes 43 or 43, as the case may be, or adjacent the burners B so as to individualize the operation of the several burners.

' The portion 52 of the burner has an outlet cap 55 which is removably attached to the body 50, as shown in Fig. 9, the outer end of said cap being tapered and projecting into an orifice 58 in the wall of the crucible or hearth, as at W preferably so as to form an air tight connection. I provide in the wall, opposite ed into the portion 64 of the tube 60, as

each burner a combustion block 59, in which the opening 58 is formed conically with the smaller end adjacent the burner and the larger end of the cone opening into the crucible or the hearth, as the case may be.

Within the body I providean elongated tube which is threaded at 61 into a boss 62- in the rear wall 63 of said body. The forward end of said tube is enlarged at 64 and is internally threaded to receive a burner tip 65, shown in Figs. 11 and 12 in detail. Outwardly of the burner body 50 I provide a connection between the tube 60. and the fuel supply pipe 44, through which liquid fuel may be supplied to the chamber'60 of tube 60, outwardly of the pipe connection 44. The tube 60 is internally threaded at 66 to receive a correspondingly threaded portion 67 on a valve stem 68, which extends throughout the length of the tube 60, and from the outer end of said tube. 60, through a packing gland 69.

The end portion 70 of said stem is provided with a hand wheel 71 by means of which the stem 68 may be advanced and retracted in the tube 60 for thepurpose of regulating the flow of fuel through the burner tip 65. The burner tip 65 has a hexagonal wrench receiving head 72, and a reducedeX-.

ternally threaded portion 7 3 which is threadshown in Fig. 10 -The valve stem 68 has an enlarged head 69 which is reciprocably positioned ina central bore 74 of the burner 65, and a bore 7 5 is provided in member 65 in which the valve head 69 is slidably held.

Said chamber is connected by means of in-- that the passages 7 6 and 77 are tangentially disposed with respect to the axis. of the burner 65 and the openings of passages 76 and? 7 into and at different positions longi-- tudinally of the chamber 75, so that a minute'control of the flow of fuel into the chamber may be effected by the advance or retraction of the stem 68 and head 69 with in the member 65; In this connection it will be understood that I may use any number of the passages 76 and 77 arranged at different points and at suitable angles for carrying out the objects of my invention.

The chamber has an outlet80 in com,- munication with a conical depression 81 on the outside of the head 72, and said. head is positioned within the cap 55 of the burner and adjacent the opening 82 in said cap. Thus, the fuel under pressure admitted to the chamber 60 of tube 60, through pipe 44 is discharged through the passages 78 and? 9, and thence through the passages 76 and/or 77 into the chamber 75, and thence through the outlet 80 into the conical inlet chamber 58 of the combustion'block 59 of the hearth H or crucible O. The size of the passages 78, 79,76, 77 and 8-0 is suchthat the liquid fuel will be thoroughly atomized and the air from the pipes 43 and 43 is admitted to the presence of the atomized liquid fuel through the necks 51 and 52 of the burner body 50. V 7 Now, it will be understood from the description of my smelter and the vburners for heating the same to a proper temperature that I haveprovided an efficient means for reducing the ore by means of a hydro-carbon fuel of either liquid or gaseous form, where-' by carbon may be burned while in suspension, and for maintaining a proper temperature or range of temperatures within the hearth and the crucible for effectively reducing the ore to a molten metallic state, whereby the molten metallic substances'may be withdrawn separately from the slag. Furthermore, I have provided'a novel and eflicient means of preventing the oxidation of the ore during. the smelting process, and means for utilization of the: combustible products of combustion for preheating the ore preliminary to the reduction thereof.

In addition to these features, by the arand described, it will be understood that the interior of the furnace, including the hearth,

crucible and regenerator is air tight and so arranged that all of the air admitted thereto is under complete control at all times during the operation thereof.

By the use of my smelter, as, shown and described, I am enabled to reduce the iron ore to a molten metallic state by burning the ra-ngement of the severalelements shown After the ignition and burning of fuel oil I carbon in suspension to a CO with one-half of the air required to burn it to a C0 This effect I am able to produce by the minute f control of the air to the combustion cha n:- bers of the hearth and crucible, and the result is a positive preventive against the oxidation of the ore. Of course, it will be un-- as to prevent an excess quantity of oxygen,

insuring a carbon monoxide instead of a carbon dioxide condition in the combustion chambers.

' The gas in the regenerator is composed of from twenty-five to forty per cent CO gas,

the balance being CO H and N. The gases introduced to the burners'B of the roaster R is substantially of the same constituency as the gas in the regenerator.

My improved furnace or crucible is preferably cylindrical in cross section. The combustion chamber in the crucible occupies the upper halfthereof, while the lower half is adapted to contain the iron ore and fluxto be reduced. The application of fuel oil and air is madethrough .twyers on the sides of the furnace, and the burners for handling fuel oil and air may be so positioned at suitable angles that they will discharge'fuel and air into the upper part of the furnace so that at no time will the flame reach the body of ore and flux in the bottom .of the furnace. The amount of fuel oil with which the burn ersare charged is necessarily in excess of the air necessary to complete proper combustion. Due tothis fact, a CO gas is produced, because of the non-oxidizing condition which is necessary to separate iron from its oxides.

in the crucible, an incandescent non-oxidizlng reduclng atmosphere prevails wh ch, due

t'othe cylindrical form of the furnace, causes the gases to follow the circular walls thereof, whereby they are conducted to the iron ore and flux which occupies the lower portion of the furnace. Theattack of the gases on the ore and flux produces a molten mass of iron and slag which moves by gravity to the hearth below and accumulates in asufiicient quantity to be drawn'off. r V

In this connection it is understood that the hearth is always kept at the sametemper ature as the crucible. i

What I claim is:

1. A smelting furnace including a hearth and an inclined crucible connected therewith, a plurality of hydro-carbon burners connected with said hearth and said crucible-for providing effective ore reduction temperatures therein, said crucible arranged to receive and hold a body of ore in the lower portion thereof and provided withacombus; 7

tion: chamber in the" upper portion thereof, and means within the crucible and abovesaid hearth for d'eflectingthe heat from the hearth against-thebodyof ore whereby a maximum junction between the hearth" an'd crucible, for the purpose,described.

' 2 A smeltingfurnaceincludingf'hearth' and an inclined cruciblefconnected therewith,

a plurality of hydrocarbon burners connected with "said hearth" and said crucible for pro} therein, said crucible arranged to receive and hold, a" body of ore. in the lowerportion 'th-ereof,,and provided with a combustion chamber;- in;--the. upper -portion thereof,

means within the cruciblefland' above: said hearthfor deflecting the heat from the hearth against the :bodyofore whereby a maximum viding'veffective; ore reduction temperatures temperature may be providedat the point of ijunction between the hearth and crucible, and means formed in the lower portion of. said,

crucible for accumulating the molten metal 1 p at said point of maximum temperature for delivery to said hearth.

3. A smelting with' said hearth and said crucible for profurnace including a hearth and an inclined crucible connected therewith, aplurality of hydro-carbon burners'connected .95 5' vldlng effective ore reduct'lon temperatures; i therein, said crucible arranged to receive and hold a body of ore in the lower portion theref of and provided with a combustion chamber 1 in the upper portion thereof, means within the crucible and above said hearth for deflecting the heat from the hearth against the body of ore whereby a maximum temperature may be provided at the point of'ju-nction between the hearth and crucible, means formed in the lower portion of said crucible for-accumulatof combustion. v 4. A smelting furnace including a hearth nected with said. hearth and said crucible for providing efiective ore reduction tempera turestherein, said crucible arranged to re- .ing the molten metal at said point: of maxirnum temperature for delivery to said hearth, and means adjacent to and in communication with saidcrucible for receiving the products n c'eive and hold a body of ore'in the lower por- 7 tion thereof and provided with'a' combustion chamber inthe upper-portion thereof,

and means formed in the lower portion of the crucible for the accumulation of the molten metal at a point or maximum temperature I for delivery to said hearth.

5., A smelting furnace including a hearth and an inclined crucible connected therewith, V I a plurality of hydro-carbon burners, co'nnected with said hearth and said crucible for providlng effectlve ore reduction temperatures therein, said crucible arranged to retemperaturemay'be provided at the point, of

ceive and hold a body of ore in the lower portionthereof andprovided with a combustion chamber in the up er portion thereof, and means in the crucib le for providing a maxi mum temperature at the point of junction between the hearth and crucible.

I 6. A smelting furnace including a hearth and an inclined crucible connected therewith,

a pluralitg of hydro-carbon burners connected wit saidhearth' and said crucible for 1 providing effective ore reduction temperav tures therein, said crucible arranged to receive and hold a body of ore in the lower portion thereof and provided with acombustion chamber in the upper portion thereof, means in the crucible for providing a maximum tern erature at the point of junction between the earth and crucible, and means for accuf mulating the molten metal in the crucible at said point of maximum temperature.

JOHN T. MoCOURT. 7 

